She had already made up her mind what she would do. The idea had come to her like an inspiration when she had faced Sister Yard with a stomach that felt full of butterflies, and made her request for an early discharge. ‘I never thought you were a young woman who would desert her duties, Bannister,’ Sister Yard had the knack of looking a person up and down and reducing them to dust. Ellen looked her squarely in the eyes. ‘My mother needs me, Sister –’ ‘I need you. The army needs you. There’s so much to be done here –’ ‘And so much to be done at home,’ Ellen said swiftly. ‘I don’t just mean caring for my mother. There are other ways to help win the war –’ ‘By marching around London and waving banners, I suppose? I thought the redoubtable Miss Pankhurst had suspended her activities for the duration.’ Sister Yard’s voice could wither the most noble cause. ‘I didn’t mean that,’ Ellen spoke as evenly as she could, considering the way her temper was rising.
